PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Pirates cut nine players, including infielder Kevin Kramer and third-base prospect Ke'Bryan Hayes, from their Spring Training roster on Monday morning.

Pittsburgh optioned Kramer to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he will move around the infield and potentially see some time in the outfield. The Bucs reassigned eight players to Minor League camp: Hayes, Will Craig, Nick Franklin, Geoff Hartlieb, Christian Kelley, Arden Pabst, Bryan Reynolds and Brandon Waddell.

Hayes, the Pirates' No. 2 prospect, made a strong impression in his first big league camp by batting .346 with a 1.165 OPS in 17 games and playing high-caliber defense at third base. He will begin the season in Triple-A Indianapolis, putting him in line for a potential Major League callup later this year.

"I just tried to have as much fun as possible, as my dad's always told me to do. I just tried to showcase what I can do. I think it went pretty well," Hayes said. "Just happy that I was able to be here. It was a humbling experience for me. ... I feel like I'm close. At the same time, I've got to keep working and keep getting better at all parts of my game."

The Pirates expect to see Kramer soon even though he didn't make the Opening Day roster. The lefty-hitting 25-year-old struggled in his debut last September, but he batted .311 with an .856 OPS in Triple-A last season. The challenge will be finding playing time on Indianapolis' prospect-loaded roster, much less in Pittsburgh, so the Pirates intend to have Kramer field a number of different positions.

"We've talked with him about taking a few balls in the outfield and seeing if that comes naturally to him -- not because we're trying to create a utility player, but because we're trying to find a pathway to our Major League team because we like the bat and we like the young man a lot," general manager Neal Huntington said. "We are going to need him to help us at some point this year, and the more positions he can play, the more opportunities he'll have to get to the big leagues."

Hartlieb captured the Pirates' attention with his heavy sinker, high-90s velocity and competitive nature, which was on full display when they called him into a pair of bases-loaded jams against the Yankees.

"You bring him in a situation like we did in Tampa, that's not the way you draw it up in your first Spring Training opportunity," manager Clint Hurdle said.

Overall, the Pirates have been pleased with the performance of their young players this spring, particularly those who are likely bound for Triple-A and therefore close to the Majors.

"This Triple-A club should be our best prospect-based team that we’ve had in 11, 12 years that we've been here," Huntington said. "It's going to be a fun club. ... We'll have a nice balance of young prospects that are exciting for the future with some guys that are ready to help us [in] the short term."

Kingham cruises

Right-hander Nick Kingham bounced back from a rough start last time with his best outing of the spring in the Pirates' 4-2 win over the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. In what was likely his last bid for the final spot in Pittsburgh's rotation, Kingham held most of Tampa Bay's regular lineup to two singles and two walks while striking out five over five scoreless innings.

Kingham, who is out of Minor League options, dominated on an every-other-start basis this spring. He pitched two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut, struggled in his next outing, shut down the Red Sox for four innings, gave up five runs to the Braves then breezed through Tampa Bay's lineup by getting quick outs with his sinker.

The Pirates could soon officially name a fifth starter. Jordan Lyles is seemingly the front-runner ahead of Kingham and Steven Brault, but Kingham felt like he gave Pittsburgh's brass something to think about.

"I did everything I could, left it all on the table and now it's out of my hands. I feel good about it, though," Kingham said. "Either way, I'm happy and I'm going to be OK with the decision."

Around the horn

• Lyles threw 60 pitches in a four-inning simulated game on Monday at LECOM Park and reported no physical issues after leaving his last outing early due to cramping in his right side.

• Left-hander Tyler Lyons, a non-roster invitee competing to make the Opening Day roster in the bullpen, retired all four hitters he faced and struck out two of them during Monday's game at Charlotte Sports Park.

• Non-roster outfielder JB Shuck's strong spring continued as he went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a stolen base. Patrick Kivlehan started at third base for the first time this spring and made a handful of nice plays, including two in the first inning. Veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera, batting .324 in Grapefruit League play, went 1-for-4 as the designated hitter.

• Right-hander Trevor Williams, who will start the Pirates' second game of the season, is scheduled to work six innings in a Minor League game on Tuesday. Relievers Richard Rodriguez and Kyle Crick will also pitch at Pirate City.

Archer, Pirates donate to local school

Starter Chris Archer, Pirates Charities and Good Sports donated more than $20,000 worth of brand-new baseball and softball equipment to Bayshore High School in Bradenton during an assembly with students and staff on Monday afternoon.

Archer has worked with Good Sports, which provides apparel and footwear to those in need, since 2012 in the Tampa Bay area. They teamed up with Pirates Charities to make Monday's donation possible and will continue to do so in Pittsburgh.

"I'm very grateful that Pirates Charities jumped on board to help support [the cause] financially so that kids not only in Bradenton but in Pittsburgh can have equipment to use to have fun and grow as individuals," Archer said.

Up next

Brault will start for the Pirates as they return home to host the Tigers at LECOM Park on Tuesday afternoon. Felipe Vazquez, Keone Kela, Francisco Liriano and Rookie Davis are also scheduled to pitch for Pittsburgh. The game will be televised on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and out of market on MLB.TV. The radio broadcast will air on KDKA-AM. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. ET.